'SHAWSHANK' CELEBRATES 20 YEARS: Prison saved, history made

The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, built in 1886 and closed in 1990, had fallen into sad disrepair when Hollywood came a-calling.

The director, two producers and a set designer for a prison-themed film titled “The Shawshank Redemption” visited the imposing Romanesque structure on a snowy Monday morning in March of 1993.

“You had birds around in there. Snow, water, ice. A lot of things flapping. It was nasty,” recalled Lee Tasseff, president of the Mansfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We took them through every nook and cranny of the building and the buildings that then stood behind it.”

The verdict?

“They said, ‘We love this place!’” Tasseff said.

The next day he received a call from one of the film’s producers who said, “If you can find us a warehouse big enough to build the prison set, we’ll bring you the movie.”

A suitable warehouse was located.

History was made.

CELEBRATION WEEKEND

“The Shawshank Redemption,” released in September 1994, is one of the most beloved movies in Hollywood history and has brought tourists from far and wide to Mansfield to visit the reformatory and other area filming sites.

“This movie is about friendship and hope, and it touches people who come to the actual locations,” said Jodie Snavely, group-tour director of the Mansfield CVB. “You can drive along the road where Morgan Freeman walked to Buxton. You can go to the Bissman Building where the boarding house was filmed. Step inside the reformatory and see the warden’s office, the parole-board room and Andy’s office. That is moving for people.”

A downloadable map for The Shawshank Trail, a self-guided tour of 14 location sites from the film in Mansfield, Ashland and Upper Sandusky, can be found at www.shawshank20.com.

Snavely is overseeing the festivities in Mansfield on Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29 through 31, that will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original release of “Shawshank.”

Highlights include self-guided reformatory tours; autograph sessions with “Shawshank” cast members Renee Blaine (who played Tim Robbins’ wife), Scott Mann (the golf pro), James Kisicki (the bank manager); a screening of “The Shawshank Redemption” at the Renaissance Theatre; a catered cocktail party at the reformatory, and a two-day “Shawshank” bus tour including two movie-themed meals and autograph opportunities. Full details are available at www.shawshank20.com.

In 2013, a similar event was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of “Shawshank” filming in Mansfield.

“We found out that about 6,000 people came in for the reunion,” Snavely said. “We had people from 17 states and five countries. Bob Gunton, who played the warden, came. He was very gracious.”

“It brings people from all over,” said Lou Whitmire, a reporter at the News Journal in Mansfield. “I’ve met young couples from Canada and England who come here for their vacations.”

Visitors to Mansfield can enjoy an array of “Shawshank”-themed items at local eateries include Prison Break Sodas at Richland Carousel Park, Prison Candy Bars at The Squirrels Den, Reformatory Red Wine at Cypress Cellars Winery and Redemption IPA Beer at the Phoenix Brewing Company.

Whitmire has fond memories of her day as an extra on “The Shawshank Redemption” back in 1993.

“I have the whole screen for three whole seconds! They didn’t cut me!” she said with a chuckle. “I’m a reporter running up the stairs with my notebook at the end of the movie. You’ll see my bouffant hairdo.”

She remembers attending the local premiere of the film and excitedly spotting herself. “Now we laugh because it’s on TNT 100 times a year,” she said. “My husband always yells, ‘Lou, you’re almost on!’ We just love it. We still talk about it like it was yesterday.”

Filming was done in June, July and August 1993 in the greater Mansfield area, at the reformatory, the warehouse that housed the three-story interior prison sets, and other locations.

“All the stars had houses in the country or rented within the city, and eventually the crew and other cast members found apartments or houses. They moved in,” Tasseff said.

“Morgan Freeman was interactive and accessible to people,” Tasseff said. “I remember seeing him eating lunch with his family and the crew when they were shooting in Central Park. He brought horses and rode.

“Tim Robbins was always very much in character. He had to get in a mode and stay there.”

In all, the “Shawshank” production brought an estimated $11 million into the Mansfield economy, said Tasseff. But the film’s spell lingers over the city.

“We got lucky, because it could have been a bad movie. It could have had no legs,” he said. “It was well-written, Frank (Darabont, the director) did a great job. The thing took on a life of its own, and we’re known for it across the world.”